Siblings
by notsosecretkittykat
Summary: Humans and ghouls prowl the streets, each hunting the other down. Ayato, however, finds himself wondering why after a human girl spares his life, bringing back memories of his idiot sister. Note: I flipped chapters one and two.
1. Blood

_Note: Honestly, I was kind of considering just deleting my first chapter and restarting with this one, since I realized the first one was seriously super slow and lame, but I got a follow, so I figured I'd leave it. If you want, you can consider this the first chapter though. _

[-]

Ayato punches the investigator straight across the jaw, feeling the harsh impact of bone on bone contact with satisfaction. _Feeble human_, he scoffs internally, as the man falls to the ground. "That's the last over here, Tatara-san."

Tatara, engaged in his own battle below, takes a brief moment to look up at him, his own opponent already wheezing on the ground. Seizing the opportunity for another kill, Ayato shoots the man down from his high vantage point, before simply dropping off the rooftop to join the others, his kagune wings fully extended behind him to buffer his fall. The investigators thought they would be smart by shooting the ghouls down from a nearby building; Ayato brought an end to their efforts by simply flying up to join them. _Stupid humans, you can't ever escape from me_. As he jumps from the rooftop, Tatara watches him, his eyes as cold as ever. But at least that's some emotion, as compared to the bottom half of his face, which lies covered by his mask, rendering him eternally unfeeling. Although even without the mask, Tatara isn't the type for smiling.

As Ayato lands lightly, Tatara simply nods at him – no words, no praise, nothing – before turning to beckon for the other leaders to join them. In the distance, Ayato spots the hulking figure of Yamori lumbering towards them, Naki following in his shadow. The Bin brothers too approach, although somewhat more gracefully. Even farther off, Noro looms over his pile of slain bodies, the white of his mask contrasting sharply with the dark hue of his cloak. While Tatara's mask covers his mouth, leaving only his eyes visible, Noro's gives him a constant, too wide smile, and denies him of any eyes at all. It's a constant topic of discussion between the ghouls which of the two is more intimidating.

"Let's get out of here," Tatara orders as the others pull into hearing distance. "We don't want to be around when reinforcements from the main branch arrive."

Yamori cracks his knuckles in defiance. "Or we could stay, and kill them all."

"No," Tatara's already begun to walk away, with Eto prancing after him. "We're leaving."

Without any further resistance, the others follow him. No one questions Tatara, after all. Still, Ayato looks back wistfully at the twisting alleyways which extend behind them before following. It's a small, simple action, but it's enough for Naki to notice. "Hurry up, asshole," he taunts.

Ayato glares back at him. _You little fucker, I'll kill you someday_. "Shut up, dumbass."

Even this small disturbance is enough to make Tatara pause. He turns to look back at Ayato, his face blank, the question implied although technically unstated.

Ayato jams his hands into his pockets uncomfortably. "I'll meet you back at headquarters later." As an executive, he does technically have the right to go where he wants. It's his age and slim build that make the others doubt him. _If I were Yamori, no one would question me, damn it. And I'm stronger than that fucker too._

Tatara nods at Ayato and begins to walk away again, the others following, although not without a rude gesture from Naki. And a rude gesture back from Ayato.

With the others gone at last, Ayato melts into the shadows of the adjacent alleyways, taking comfort in his assumed solitude. Although these passageways were once crammed full of ghouls, once the humans started learning to keep their distance, the ghouls left too. It simply wasn't profitable to live in a place with no prey. Of course, every now and then, some humans would show up again, and then the ghouls would follow. And then the humans would die, and the ghouls would leave. It was a constant cycle of death and rebirth, a cruel, ugly cycle. In general, the reputation stuck though; even now, most humans took care not to be caught in these areas alone. Once the rest of the doves arrived, they'd probably assume that their companions had been killed by the ghouls living here, and then, for a few short weeks, these alleys would be filled with investigators hunting down imaginary prey. For now though, they're quiet._ And that's how I like them._

The words of his father echo in his mind. _Live peacefully with the humans_, he'd tried to convince his children. It was on days like these, after fights like these which could hardly be called anything but slaughters that these sentiments came back the most strongly. _You old fool_, Ayato thinks, repelling the image of his father from his mind. _You got killed. You were weak. But I refuse to be like you. I'll show that scum that ghouls are betters than humans_.

Nearly through the passages now, Ayato is surprised to find a human wandering towards him. It's a fat old man, oblivious to the world as he scrolls on his smartphone, his other hand clutching a briefcase, although not one large enough to hold a quinque. _It's your lucky day, dumbass. If you'd passed by five minutes ago, I might have spared you, you know_. Ayato leans against the side of the wall, waiting for the man draw closer, his fist clenching in anticipation. _But at this point, after all the people I've already killed today, another one like you won't matter. Besides, I'm hungry_. Although they'd won their fight against the doves, it hadn't been an easy battle. Ayato could feel the exhaustion sinking in. He'd had to use his kagune for nearly the whole fight, and as a result, his regenerative powers weren't working as quickly as normal. He needed a meal, and fast. _I guess you'll have to do, you old fucker_.

As the man draws parallel to Ayato, he sticks out his foot, sending him sprawling to the ground. Not realizing his imminent death, the man reaches for his phone, which had gone skidding across the ground as he'd fallen. Laughing, Ayato kicks it out of his reach, "Idiot."

Finally comprehending his situation, the man looks up in horror at Ayato, still leaning casually against the wall with his hands in his jacket pockets. "I– I don't have any money on me, I swear." In his position on the ground, he bends up arms awkwardly from beneath him, trying to raise them in surrender. "Just don't kill me, please. I've got a wife, and kids, please."

"Then those kids can grow up like me," Ayato hisses, stepping forward to stand over the man. "And it's pretty fucking obvious that you've got money when you carry around a briefcase like that, dumbass. But lucky for you, I don't give a shit about money." He leans down, putting his ear above the man's. "Ghouls like me don't care about money."

As the man opens his mouth to scream, Ayato calmly places his boot against the man's neck. In one quick move, the man lies dead on the ground, his head severed from his body. _Well that was dull_. Ayato makes no effort to drag the man's body into the shadows or otherwise hide it; after all, there's no one else here. Instead, he nonchalantly rips the man apart piece by piece, smearing and dripping blood all over the ground. As he finishes up, a light snow begins to fall. _Perfect. It'll cover all the evidence_. He kicks the remains of the man over to the side, behind a rusty old garbage can. _It's just where scum like you belongs_.

By now, the snow is falling harder. Ayato pauses for a moment to breathe in the crisp, cold air, allowing it to revitalize him. _I used to play in the snow with you, Aneki._ Not wanting to return to the Aogiri headquarters yet, he allows his body to slide down to the floor, resting his back gently against the wall behind him, and putting his hands, still stained with blood, out to catch the snowflakes. For a few minutes, he rests there, letting the snow blanket him and numb his soul. It isn't until he hears footsteps approaching that he's brought back to reality.

They're light footsteps, although they seem rushed. Peeking around the garbage can, Ayato spots a girl, probably around his age, hurrying down the alleyway, her head down to protect her face against the cold. Her long, black hair streams out behind her, being buffeted back and forth by the winds. Although she's wrapped in a winter jacket, it's obvious that she's thin, although not overly so. _My, my, you look fucking delicious. Much better than that fat man_. Still, Ayato remains seated on the floor. It's not as though he needs to eat more right now, and honestly, the memories of his father and sister are making him feel nostalgic. _I'll let you go this once, kid. You better be fucking grateful_.

He tucks his feet in close to his body, hoping the girl won't see him and ask him any questions. _I don't need your sympathy, human. And trust me: you don't want to give it to me_. Abruptly, however, the girl's footsteps stop. After waiting for a few seconds, Ayato peeks around the trashcan again. The snow, which was pristine just a few moments ago, lies strewn about, the blood underneath revealed. Her back to him, the girl stoops on the ground, clearly examining the marks. _You dumb little girl, I hate it when you fucking humans pretend you're so smart. _

Pulling himself up from the ground, Ayato makes his way over to the little cottage at the end of the alleyway. _I suppose I'll kill you after all, dumbass. _As he waits for the girl to notice him, he puts on foot up on the little fence that's been set up there, leaning against it impatiently. He pushes his hands, now half frozen and quite free of blood thanks to the snow, back into his pockets. For all her playing pretend at being an investigator, the girl takes a solid ten minutes before she even looks up and notices him waiting there. The instant she does, her body goes rigid. _That's right, be afraid. So far you've got that over that idiot old man, at least_. Slowly, the girl stands up, turning her body to face him. Briefly, Ayato wonders that she isn't immediately running away or screaming for help, but those thoughts are quickly lost in his anticipation of the hunt. _Well, well, this looks fun_. He smirks, pleased that the girl doesn't seem as weak as the rest of her pathetic species.

As the girl walks towards him, he stands unmoving, restraining himself with every step closer she draws. On her back, she has a huge, tattered backpack, far too large for her small body. It reminds him of Yamori, with the tiny little tools he insists on using despite his massive frame. As she approaches, he's again surprised to see the seemingly unafraid look on the girl's face. More than anything else, she seems resolved, purposeful. By this time, she's so close that their breaths, fogging up in the cold air, practically collide. _Just one more step_, he wills himself. _Just let her take one more step, and then you can have her. She'll be no match for you anyways, with a fragile little body like that, might as well have a little fun here while I can._

But it's the girl who makes the first move. Stopping a mere six feet from Ayato, she suddenly swings her backpack around. With alarming speed, she pulls a briefcase out of it, unlatches it, and reveals a glistening blue quinque. Somewhat stiff from standing still in the cold for so long, and still unhealed from the recent battle against the investigators, Ayato jumps back much less quickly than he's accustomed to as she makes her first attack, swinging her weapon at his side, and barely manages to get himself out of reach. Even slower is his mind, reeling in surprise. _This little bitch is a dove?_

[-]

_Notes: I realized in the last chapter, I accidentally said Kaneki, Tsukiyama, Rize, and the clowns exist in this storyline. I meant to put a not in there, saying that they don't, but maybe I'll include some random cameos from them after all, so I don't really know right now._

_Also, yes, this story will be switching back and front between viewpoints. I think just between Yukime and Ayato though, no Touka viewpoints, sorry. _


	2. Snow

_Intro: My first time ever writing fanfiction! This chapter is a really slow one, mostly descriptions, but things will definitely pick up a lot in the next two chapters. I'm planning fourteen chapters in total, each averaging around this length or a little longer, and I'll probably be updating with a chapter each day for the next two weeks. If you have absolutely anything at all to say about my writing, feel free to do so! Thanks, and I hope you like my story!_

_Notes: Neither Yukime nor Shiki are canon characters. I made them up. I picture Yukime as looking like Maria Kurenai, and Shiki as Shiki Senri, from Vampire Knight, except with black hair. The main canon characters I'll be featuring are Ayato and Touka Kirishima. Naki will also be here, but mostly just as an annoying brat. The other Anteiku and Aogiri members will have minor roles. Nishiki has not joined Anteiku yet, mostly because I have no idea how to portray his personality. Therefore, this story obviously doesn't fit into the canon timeline, since there, Naki isn't released from the ghoul prison until the Aogiri raid, which Nishiki takes part in. Kaneki, Tsukiyama, Rize, and the clowns do exist in this storyline. The CCG does exist, but no canon CCG members will be featured. _

[-]

Snowflakes drift dreamily through the cloudy skies, descending gently on the city. Like powdered sugar, they land on the rooftops, frosting the world, and making it look sweet. _Sweeter than it really is_, Yukime thinks, as she pauses to relish in the moment. Usually, Januaries in Tokyo are cruel, loveless things. They bite at you with their bitter coldness, teasing you with thoughts of snow, but rarely allowing you a taste. Today though, they decided to be kind.

She grants herself just one more moment to savor the beauty of the snow – after all, it's in her name, Yukime, snow lady – and slowly lets out her breath, tilting her head up to watch it condense in midair. For just a few seconds, it lingers, before it's taken up into the heavens, floating out of her sight and dissolving into nothingness. Then snowflakes land in her eyes, bringing her back to reality with harsh clarity. _I wish I could fly too. _

The approaching darkness in the peripheral of her vision reminds her that night is coming. Before long, it'll be even colder, and she won't want to be out reveling in the streets then. She tucks her hands back into her pockets and sets out against the frigid winds. Just a moment ago they seemed so friendly, but even as she begins on her way again, they rise up, creating billowing spirals of snow that blind her and block her path.

It's cold enough that she decides to take the shortcut home. It's a much faster route, and right now, she wants nothing more than to be curled up before the fireplace with a mug of hot chocolate in her hands. _There won't be anyone out_, she reassures herself. Although it's the quicker route, it's dangerous too. Her house is located in one of the rougher neighborhoods in Tokyo, bordered on the back by a tangle of dark alleyways where ghouls lurk, waiting for those too ignorant to know better to pass by. Most people keep away if they can. Still, Yukime's better prepared than most to be wandering through these streets, even with dusk approaching. _Remember what Shiki taught you_, she thinks, feeling the reassuring solidity of the quinque's case through the thin fabric of her backpack. _I'll fight if I have to. Kill if I have to. _

To distract herself from such bloody thoughts, she daydreams of the day when she and Shiki will move to a safer neighborhood. Their parents hadn't had a lot of money, so they'd lived here, in a little cottage on the edge of the alleyways. She'd never minded it before, when all of them were there, but with just her and Shiki, it felt a little lonely. And she didn't like living in the shadow of the ghouls. Still, Shiki was doing well as an investigator, and before long, they'd have enough money to move out. Yukime could hardly wait for those days to come. _I just want a life where our survival doesn't mean the destruction of someone else's. _

As she continues home, the snow falls harder and faster. At this point, it's not just a little dusting on the rooftops anymore; she can hardly see the ground through all the white that's covering it. _It's just a little farther, just around the next corner. _In her rush, she turns the last corner a little too quickly, losing her balance for a moment. Her boot slides across the ground, melting the snow to reveal a sticky redness underneath, which seeps into the snow and ruins its purity. Instinctively, she stoops down to examine it. _I guess there's an investigator in me after all_. Lightly, she kicks aside the surrounding snow, revealing more stains spread all over the ground in ugly streaks and splatters. There's no doubting what it is. It's new too, still liquid in some of the thicker parts despite the snow covering it. As she straightens herself out, a shiver runs down her back, and it isn't just from the cold.

_Still… even if there's a ghoul nearby… if there's just the slightest chance I can save this person, I have to do it_. Against her better judgment, Yukime turns back, searching through the snow for more clues. _Besides, home is only thirty feet away_. The snow continues to fall around her, cloaking the evidence, diluting the blood, and disabling her vision. It isn't until she finally gives up nearly half an hour later that she realizes she isn't alone.

Thirty feet away, at the gate of her house, a figure stands watching her. Through the snow, and from this distance, she can't see who it is, only that it's dressed in all black. _Reveal yourself_, she wills it. _Tell me what you are_. Instead, it stands unmoving, forcing her to step forward to join it.

She walks forward slowly, taking small steps, not wanting to make the wrong move. As she approaches, the details fall into place one by one. Twenty feet away, she's certain it's a male, probably a young one. He has on black boots, black pants, and a black leather jacket. He holds himself confidently, with one foot up on her fence, and both hands jammed into his pockets. _That's my garden you've got your foot in, damn it. _

Five feet closer, she can tell that his hair, which she initially thought was black, is blue. It's long, and descends around his face in messy waves. He has an arrogant smirk on his face, smeared with blood around the mouth. _Well that's a ghoul if I ever saw one. And I'm going to wipe that smirk off his face._

Just ten feet away, she can finally see his eyes, watching her not intently, but almost nonchalantly. As he stands immobile, his eyes alone move to follow her. She gets the feeling he's deliberating not how to kill her, but how to toy with her first. _Don't you know you're not supposed to play with your food?_

[-]

_Notes: I absolutely do not own the picture used as the cover for this story. If there is any problem with my using it, I am completely willing to remove it. I just figured that my using it falls under fair use, since I'm only using it to designate that this story focuses on Ayato and Touka, and this image was the best one of the two of them. I also do not own any part of the Tokyo Ghoul franchise in any way, shape, or form. _

_Also, I don't live in Japan or speak Japanese. My description of the weather is just based off of what I've read online, as is my translation of the name Yukime. If anyone reading this happens to live in Japan, please correct me if I'm wrong about these things! Thank you! _


	3. Dove

A mere six feet from the boy, Yukime abruptly swings her backpack around, its flap flying open from the sudden movement. Already rushing forward, she dives a hand into the pack, pulling out the quinque's case and flipping its switch open with her thumb. For a second, she's afraid she's made a mistake, and that she'll simply slam straight into the ghoul's chest – _although honestly, that wouldn't be so terrible_, she can't help but think –but luckily, the quinque blooms open in all its cobalt blue glory, veined with darker purples and reds. Immediately, she clutches it tight in both hands, braces her feet hard against the ground, and swings it at the ghoul with all the force she can muster. It takes everything she's got to control the quinque – after all, it was made for Shiki, not her.

His eyes widening in surprise, the ghoul jumps back, just barely managing to make it clear of the quinque's tentacles. A moment later, his own kagune erupts from his back: wings which look so much like fire that Yukime instinctively feels the need to back away lest she burn herself. It's a good thing she does too, for the next moment, the boy jumps forward, the smirk which once sat so smugly on his face now replaced by an ugly sneer. Already retreating, Yukime manages to thrust herself out of his way, effectively placing her quinque between them as a shield. Since he's already brought himself to her, she next shoves her quinque forward, not actually able to see her enemy beyond it, but simply hoping that by virtue of its writhing nature the quinque might hit him. As she hears him intake sharply a second later, she knows it did, and pulls back a little.

The ghoul stands a few feet away now, bleeding from a deep cut in his arm, and glaring at her with eyes full of fury. From this distance, she now notices the other minor cuts scattered over the rest of his body – wherever this ghoul's been today, he's been doing some fighting, that's for sure. No wonder his regenerative properties aren't working very quickly.

"Not bad," the ghoul remarks, breaking the silence between them, "for a shitty human."

"Mm," Yukime mumbles, not sure how to reply to something so rude. _I should teach you some manners._

"But I'm surprised," the ghoul drawls on, "that they're taking in pathetic little pipsqueaks like you at the CCG these days. They must be getting pretty fucking desperate."

"These are desperate times," Yukime says coldly, tightening her grip on her quinque. With her rinkaku against his ukaku, he doesn't technically have the advantage, but he'll gain it fast if she doesn't keep up with him stroke for stroke. Whoever this kid is, he's good.

"But that's your fault, not ours," the boy hisses back. "You fucking humans always have to screw everything up."

Yukime doesn't bother to answer. In a battle like this, she won't last much longer, not when she already feels sucker punched, not from the enemy's weapon, but from wielding her own. So instead of replying, she simply hoists the quinque up and makes another wild swing. The ghoul dances to the side again, much more graceful than her. But she can't give him any respite, not when doing so would obviously cause her immediate death. As soon as the quinque slows down enough for her to coerce it the other direction, she does so, the ghoul again dancing out of her reach, and then – and then miraculously, he falls.

When Yukime'd installed that little white fence she'd never imagined that it would one day serve a purpose other than providing her with the illusion of a normal life. But when the blue haired ghoul tripped over it and went sprawling into her long dead garden, crashing his head into the cold, hard ground, she swore she could've kissed that fence. Instead, she jabs at the now prostrate ghoul with her quinque, flipping him over and ensuring that he really, truly is out cold, and breathes a sigh of relief. _Thank goodness that's over_.

Immediately, Yukime drops everything – namely, her quinque – in the snow, and runs into her house. Slamming on the lights and leaving the door wide open, she frantically grabs at the tracking devices Shiki had bought for his investigations. Whatever money they'd saved by living in this decrepit place, they frequently splurged on such things. Investigation was their life. On her way back out into the snow, she snags a needle and a spool of thread too. Normally, she'd use them for stitching up any rips she or Shiki got in their clothes, but today they'll have to serve a different purpose.

Rushing back outside, Yukime ignores the cold – after all, there are more pressing matters at hand. She has three minutes, max, before the boy wakes up. A little knock on the head won't put him out for longer than that. Kneeling in the snow, Yukime hastily jams the tracker into the cut she'd given him on his arm, smearing blood all over her hand in the process. With slick fingers, she picks up the tiny needle and tries to thread it. In her panic, it takes her four tries – _oh crap, please, please, please work _– before she manages to get it through. With messy, uneven stitches, she sews the wound together, just barely. _Flesh sure is a hell of a lot harder to sew than cloth, damn it. These stiches look like something from a Frankenstein movie. _But that's alright – with his regenerative powers, the ghoul will heal in no time. Yukime just doesn't want the tracker to fall out. With this accomplished, Yukime throws the remaining needle and thread aside – after all, her garden's practically a dump anyways – grabs her backpack, quinque, and case, and heads back inside._ Don't die,_ she begs him internally as she locks the door behind her, although she isn't quite sure why. _Please don't die._

[-]

Ayato wakes up with an ungodly pounding in his head. He's lying on hard, cold ground, dusted over with a light layer of snow. As he instinctively tries to pull himself up, he's reprimanded by a painful ache in his arm. Glancing over, he sees a raw, bloody wound, his regenerative powers just starting to meld it together again. It appears to be stitched together, albeit not very well. _That weirdo human must have done it_. Now looking around for his assailant – and supposedly also his caretaker – Ayato finds that he's been left alone. The sun's setting too, so it's too dark for him to try to track the girl's footsteps. The lights in the nearby house have been turned on though, the curtains pulled shut completely. _Better get out of here before that person comes to shovel their yard. _

Ignoring the pain in his left arm, Ayato pushes himself up onto his feet. Other than the very obvious gash on his arm, he finds himself mostly healed now. It seems the meal he'd made of that old man was finally paying off. Even the pounding in his head is fading. _Still, unless that gash heals up fast, I'd hate to go back to Aogiri like this. Dumbass Naki might find it just a bit too amusing._ Just the thought of Naki, that arrogant, ignorant, insubordinate, panda eyed freak, makes Ayato clench his fists instinctively. _I'd love to make mincemeat out of you someday._ Naki thought he was safe from Ayato just because he was Yamori's right hand man – well, other than Nico. _You're so wrong, Naki. Even Yamori doesn't dare to mess with me._

Still, with or without Naki, Aogiri is the only place Ayato has to go. _I can't go running back to you anymore, Aneki._ So, with his mind made up, Ayato jams his hands into his pockets once more and sets out for the eleventh ward.

Thankfully, it's the Bin brothers who control the majority of the Aogiri forces, so it's their sentries who spot Ayato first. As he passes by them, they salute him respectfully, no questions asked. It's not their place to ask where he's been.

It is, however, quite within Tatara's realm to ask that same question. So naturally, he does, right in the middle of the leaders' meeting Ayato walks straight into. Even as nonchalantly as Tatara says it, every word that comes out of his mouth is latched onto with the greatest respect. In the corner of his eye, Ayato sees Naki immediately sit up in his seat, interested again in this otherwise boring meeting.

"Just wanted to catch a meal in peace," Ayato replies calmly.

Of course, Naki has to speak up. "That sure doesn't explain the cut on your arm." He says it mockingly, like he knows Ayato doesn't have a good excuse for it – although for once, he doesn't. And that just makes Naki's remarks all the more annoying. _Shut up, dumbass Naki. _"Or why it's stitched in purple thread."

Impulsively, Ayato glances down at his wound. He hadn't noticed it before, outside in the dark, but sure enough, it's interwoven in a nice magenta thread. Against the gore of his half healed wound, it stands out like blood against snow. Oh, how well he knows that stands out. Even his brief glance down at his wound causes a few chortles around the room: Yamori's deep, amused one, Eto's light, childish one. _Those two couldn't be more different_.

It's Nico who speaks up: "My, my, following my example, dear boy, marvelous," he says in his overly silky voice, the one Ayato hates. _Shut up, shut up, all of you._

Ayato glares briefly at Nico before turning back to face the rest. "I went to see my sister. She stitched it." The words come out through clenched teeth. He can't believe this is the lie he has to resort to. "And the wound came from our fight against the doves." Well, that one's not entirely a lie. It was a dove who'd given him that nasty gash, but not one the others had seen.

"How sweet of you," Yamori rasps, "but I seem to remember your sister lives all the way in the twentieth ward, and you don't seem to have been gone quite that long." He cracks his knuckles as he speaks; the sound echoes through the chamber.

"I took the train." Ayato retorts. "I can do that, you know."

"Perhaps we should send you to do the shopping then."

Naki jumps up. "Yeah, you're not even smart enough to do that! But I can!"

Ayato snorts derisively at him, not even bothering to respond. Luckily, Tatara cuts in. "Enough." And that word alone puts an end to all their bickering. "Ayato, we'll talk later. For now, let's continue the meeting."

Finally released from his interrogation, Ayato takes his usual place in the circle. The rest of the meeting follows quickly: just an update on their situation with the doves, and then they're done. As everyone else files out of the room, Ayato remains to speak with Tatara. As unemotional as always, his superior simply waits for his explanation, not saying any words.

Ayato cracks before him. Tatara isn't someone you can lie to. "I got attacked by another dove," he says simply. Now that he admits the truth, his previous lies sound weak and unnecessary. They make it sound like he's hiding much more than he really is. _Damn it, I shouldn't have lied_.

"I see. In any case, I expect you'll be ready to face anymore investigators that come your way. We'll be counting on you in the upcoming battles."

"Of course," Ayato bows his head respectfully as Tatara leaves the room. It's a short conversation, but an effective one. Alone once again, Ayato finally lets his thoughts wander back to the girl who attacked him. _You saw my face, you fucking dove. I can't let you live now. Do you know what you're gotten into?_

[-]

_Note: Sorry for the super late update! My friend invited me on a road trip with her, so my mom made me swear to do all my winter break homework before then. So I was kind of busy doing that, and then it was Christmas, and then we left for the trip, and I just didn't have any spare time. Yeah. I guess a chapter a day is kind of unreasonable though, so it'll probably be a chapter every few days. I don't really know. Thanks for reading though, and happy holidays! _


	4. Lamplight

It's been four days since she fought the ghoul. _I should have died that day._

She can't stop thinking about what happened. _I need to get it out of my head._

Thoughts of him constantly cloud her mind. _I hope he's alright. I hope he's alive._

Everything she does reminds her of him: when she opens the refrigerator, the blast of air reminds her of the snow that night, of how he'd lain in the cold as she'd turned her back. When she goes outside, the white picket fence reminds her of their fight there, of the sound of his head crashing into the hard ground. When she mends rips in her clothing, the needle and thread remind her of the wound she'd given him, of how badly she'd stitched it together.

"Hey," Shiki says, waving his hand in front of her face, "Earth to Yuki."

"Sorry!" she jumps, dropping the needle onto the ground. "My bad, I was spacing out."

He eyes her suspiciously. "You've been acting weird lately, sis. If there's anything you need to talk about, you can always tell me, you know." He grabs a piece of toast as he gets up from the kitchen table, slinging his coat off its hanger and over his shoulder. "I mean, I've got to go to work now, but I'll be around later." He ruffles her hair affectionately with his free hand before grabbing his quinque's case and heading for the door.

"Yeah," Yukime mumbles absentmindedly, before the sight of the quinque's case clicks in her mind. "Wait, Shiki, I need a new quinque!"

He turns back to her, eyebrow raised to ask the question that his mouth, full of toast, can't.

"This one's too heavy for me," she explains quickly. "I was training with it the other day and it's just so hard for me to use. I can't swing it properly, so if I ever got into a real fight, I'd definitely be screwed." She lies automatically, not wanting Shiki to know she was attacked. _He would definitely go and hunt that ghoul down. And then it'd be game over for all of us._ "I mean, probably," she adds hastily, realizing how suspicious she sounds.

"Mm," Shiki mumbles around his toast before swallowing. "I've got a few spares if you want to try them out, although you know I usually use koukaku…"

"A rinkaku would be best." As advantageous as a koukaku would be against the ghoul's ukaku kagune, Yukime knows she isn't strong enough to wield one, especially if she couldn't even use her old rinkaku. "You know I'm no good with the other types."_ Rinkaku is my best shot, since I can't use koukaku, and bikaku would give the ghoul an advantage. _

"Yeah, I've only got one other rinkaku. It's a bit lighter than the one you've been using, so it's no good for me. You can have it if you want. It's in the shed somewhere, so just grab it sometime. See you later."

[-]

Tatara comes knocking on his door before Ayato's even woken up. "Kirishima," he calls, opening the door without waiting for a reply. It's more of a demand than a greeting.

Ayato sighs and rolls out of bed. "Tatara-san," he says, bowing as his superior invites himself into his room, although any attempted respect is negated by the appalling state of his hair.

"I need you to go to the ninth ward." That's Tatara for you – no time wasted, just the quick, simple instructions which can only come from someone who's used to getting what he wants. "You'll be negotiating with the leaders there. Noro's needed for something else, so you'll be going on your own this time. Do it quickly and come back." With this said, he leaves.

Ayato sighs again. The last few days have been like this; in wake of their fight against the doves, they have to ensure the loyalty of all their affiliated groups, many of whom they hadn't bothered to inform of the attack before they'd simply gone and performed it. The ninth ward leaders would be particularly offended, seeing as it was their ward the attack had taken place in.

Trudging out of his room, Ayato finds himself face to face with another unpleasant surprise – Naki. _I so do not want to deal with you right now, dumbass Naki. _The blonde haired boy sneers at Ayato, equally displeased. "Hey, asshole, you should have been awake three hours ago like me to help unload the supplies."

"My bad," Ayato scoffs back, "but I was out all yesterday cleaning up the fucking mess Yamori made in the sixth ward while you went and did the shopping, dumbass."

"Hey, the shopping is important, you know!"

"Yeah, yeah," Ayato continues sarcastically. "Maybe I'll worry about it after I've ensured we don't get torn apart by our allies. Now get out of my way. I've got a mission from Tatara, and you're not invited." As the blonde struggles to find a reply, Ayato stalks off, leaving him fuming.

"Whatever!" Naki calls after Ayato. "I've got errands to do too!"

_Idiot, _Ayato thinks as he walks away. _This world is full of fucking idiots. And the biggest one of all is that dumbass girl who let me off alive._

Although he's been busy the last four days, Ayato sure as hell hasn't forgotten about the human girl who spared his life. On the contrary, he's been consumed by his need to dispose of her. _I'll get back at her someday. I have to. She had a quinque. She was a dove. She has to die._

And lucky – or not – for Ayato, here was his chance: the ninth ward, his destination, and the location of the girl's home. _I hope you're ready, little girl. I'm coming to get you._

_I won't be merciful like you, like Aneki._ _I'm not like you._ But even as the thought strikes his mind, Ayato isn't sure which "you" he means – the girl, or his sister.

[-]

The spare quinques are shoved all the way in the back of the shed, amidst the colonies of dust bunnies and cobwebs which reside there. Yukime sighs resignedly, distinctly remembering having put them there in a fit of anger at the world and all its cruelties. _If only I could go back in time and tell myself to leave them in the yard or somewhere random instead. Maybe then I'd be able to beat that ghoul just by chucking quinque cases at him_. The thought of such an absurd fight makes her giggle – although it's no more absurd of a scenario than the ghoul's tripping over her fence and knocking himself out like that, which had proven unexpectedly realistic.

Thinking about the ghoul again sobers her up real fast. _Focus, Yuki, you need to get that quinque so that you really can beat him next time._ Chastened – by herself – Yukime sets about pulling the quinque cases out from their isolation one by one and checking each to see if it's the rinkaku Shiki promised her: bright orange koukaku – _nope_, forest green bikaku – _nope_, crimson red koukaku – _nope_, sky blue koukaku – _nope_, royal purple bikaku – _nope_. Finally, the last case sits before her – _thank goodness Shiki hasn't collected that many yet. Although, of course, it's just my luck that the one I need is all the way in the back. He's probably never even used it, sheesh. _

Yukime grabs the case's handle and drags it into the kitchen, feeling much more defeated than triumphant. Leaving it lying on the ground, she lets her body collapse into a chair, exhausted. _I seriously need to work out more. It's no wonder I did so badly in that fight. I'm lucky I even lasted as long as I did. I can't believe it took my nearly dying to realize how weak I am._

Warily eyeing the case on the ground, she briefly wonders what color the quinque is. _Screw it, let's just get this over with_, she finally thinks, abruptly reaching down and flipping it open.

The quinque blooms open in a flurry of light greens and yellows. For a moment, Yukime starts, thinking that it really is some living, growing thing. The way it's colored, it looks just like some new little plant sprouting from the earth.

_It looks like new life._

_It looks like happiness._

_It looks like hope._

And in the barren winter both outside and in her heart, it shouldn't be allowed to survive. But it does. She'd gotten so used to closing herself off from the world and putting on a strong front but all it'd taken was one ghoul to come along and tear all those defenses down and show her how soft and scared and weak she truly was. _Oh, no, no, no, I didn't want this._

And then –

Beep. Beep. Beep.

It's either the first or the last thing she wants, but she can't decide which. It's the tracker, telling her that the ghoul is nearby.

[-]

The ghouls of the ninth ward are definitely not happy with Aogiri. "We want out," their leader states flatly. "We're done with all of this. You didn't even tell us you were attacking the doves! You just left us with a pile of dead bodies in the middle of our ward, and now the doves are everywhere!"

Ayato sighs for the umpteenth time today. They've been going back and forth like this for quite a while now – it's almost five in the afternoon – and he just wants to finish things up. After all, he's got his own plans for today. "Don't exaggerate things," he snarls, trying, and failing, to be patient. At least he isn't swearing yet. "The doves are only in the back alleyways near where the attack was. No one even lives there." _No one except for a certain girl, that is. But even she'll be dead soon._ "You should be glad we killed all the doves here. Once the new ones fail to find anything, they'll be forced to leave you alone eventually."

"But you didn't even warn us!"

"Then I'm warning you now, dumbass!" _Well, so much for not swearing_. "We're planning more attacks soon, in other wards. Once we start those, all the doves here will leave pretty damn fast. Got it," he hisses. It's not a question; it's a threat.

Their leader takes one moment too many to deliberate his answer.

"I said, got it." Ayato takes a step forward and kicks the man in the stomach, sending him sprawling. His followers immediately form a circle around Ayato, although none of them dare to attack first. "Save your time. You can't beat me, weaklings."

Their leader – Ayato hasn't even bothered to remember his name – picks himself up slowly from the ground, his hands raised.

"You can't just leave Aogiri, got it," Ayato tests him.

"Yes, sir," the older ghoul replies meekly.

"Much better," Ayato smirks. "You probably just thought I was some accomplice of Noro all this time, huh. Well I'll tell you what, I'm not. I'm way fucking stronger than that."

The other ghouls nod, still giving him a wide berth. _So weak,_ Ayato thinks. _I didn't even use my kagune and they'll all like this. How pathetic of them._

"Well then, now that we've come to an agreement, I'll be off." Still smirking, Ayato lets himself out the door, the other ghouls bumping into each other to make way for him.

Outside, it's dusky, dark enough that he almost misses the girl huddled up on the ground against the side of a nearby building. It's the light of her phone, reflecting on her face, that gives her away. With her hood pulled up, for a moment he almost mistakes her for his sister – but no, it's better than that. It's the dove. _Oh, this has been all too easy_. Smiling again, Ayato steals away into the night, keeping an eye on the girl but hiding himself. _Let's redo what happened last time._

[-]

Yukime wakes up with a start. _I can't believe I actually fell asleep._ She'd been sitting here, outside some random, abandoned building on the other side of the ninth ward where the tracker had directed her for some time now, and once the initial adrenaline rush from having the ghoul so close by wore off, she'd gotten pretty bored. _All I've done today is wait, and wait, and wait. I never thought something could go from so exciting to so dull this quickly._

Checking her phone again – she's connected it to the tracker – she's alarmed to see that the ghoul's location has changed. For the longest time, he'd remained inside the building but now, he's suddenly a block down in the opposite direction. _Shoot, he must have passed by me while I was sleeping. Hopefully I didn't drool or anything – I mean, hopefully he didn't recognize me. _Chiding herself for such silly thoughts, Yukime gets up, pulling her jacket closer to her body. If she'd known she was going to be out so late, she would have brought a thicker jacket. _I'll just count that as another charge against the ghoul once I see him: getting blood all over my backyard, destroying my fence, nearly killing me, and oh hey, making me bored and half frozen to death. What a professional list._

Eyes glued to her phone, Yukime walks down the block, slowly getting closer and closer to where the ghoul is. Still, she makes sure to stay hidden in the shadows – although that isn't very hard now that the sun's set. When she's about fifty feet away, she stops, looking about furtively. Apart from the few patches of ground lit up by streetlamps, she can't see a thing. It's just too dark. She presses herself against the wall of the adjacent building, inching closer and closer to the place where her quarry supposedly waits. _I feel like an actor in a spy movie._

Twenty feet away, there still isn't anyone in sight. It's just a cold, dark night, silent save for the wind. It reminds her of her first fight against the ghoul. _Oh please, please, don't let this just be a repeat of that._

Five feet away, and she still doesn't see anyone. She pauses, hesitant, the flood of light from the next streetlamp open before her. _Surely if someone's that close to me, they'd have seen me by – oh shoot! His location on the tracker hasn't changed this whole time. It's not normal to stand so still!_ Even as she realizes it, she's aware of a shadowy figuring emerging from behind a tree on the other side of the lamp. It has to be him.

Ayato steps out from behind the tree, hearing the click of his boots on the pavement with satisfaction. The girl had taken forever to walk down the block, constantly ducking into shadows, which had – hilariously, in his opinion – made the light of her phone all the more obvious. _Silly, silly girl, you really don't know how to survive on the street._ "Hello there," he smirks. After sighing all day, the smirk sits much more naturally on his face. He's glad to have it back.

The girl halts even as he says the words, still in the shadows on the other side of the lamp. Finally, though, the light from her phone goes dark; she slips it into her pocket, simultaneously reaching for the clasp on the metal case she carries in her other hand. Even in the darkness, Ayato picks up on the action. _You're being much too obvious, little girl_. Still, he takes care to keep himself concealed in the shadows too. There's no way he's risking a repeat of what happened last time.

"You're that ghoul," the girl says. She sounds somewhat breathless. "You're alive."

_I can't believe you're so dumb as to actually say that. No shit, I'm alive. But you're not going to be, not if you keep this act up. _"Yeah," he replies coolly. "You didn't kill me."

"Of course I didn't!" Surprisingly, she sounds defensive. "I'm not an investigator, you know."

Momentarily surprised, Ayato's glad for the shadows; they hide his emotions. "Don't lie. You've got a quinque, so of course you're a fucking dove – sorry, I mean, investigator." _I can't believe I just apologized to her._

"It's my brother's. He's the investigator, not me. I never wanted to kill anyone, honestly."

Ayato snorts derisively. "Yeah, right, and I'm a fucking human."

"Hey, I didn't kill you."

_I suppose that's true._ "That just means you're weak. It doesn't prove anything."

"No, I really just didn't want to kill you." She sounds like she's pleading, and it disgusts Ayato. "Please, believe me. No one else does."

"And I don't have to either. And besides, I don't care what your ideals on killing are, because I sure as hell know mine. And in my book, you've got to die."

"Yukime," the girl says abruptly. "Yukime Asashima." There's a brief silence as Ayato doesn't know how to reply. "I'm sorry," she continues. "It just feels so wrong to fight someone without even knowing their name."

To his surprise, Ayato finds his own lips moving. "Ayato," _you idiot, what are you doing, stop it, you fucking dumbass,_ "Kirishima." Even in the dark, he thinks she smiles.

"That's a pretty name, Kirishima. I like it. Thank you for telling me."

_Don't thank me. I'm here to kill you, damn it, so stop being so kind to me! _It's the kindness that makes him explode."Shut up, you fucking dumbass! You're just like my idiot sister, and I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. Stop it!" He steps forward, kagune ready to erupt out of his back.

Yukime stares in shock as he suddenly steps into the lamplight, his cloak unfurling behind him. It's a familiar cloak, too familiar. _No, no, no._ She feels her heart drop, a sense of doom and foreboding hitting her almost physically. _He's from Aogiri?_

[-]

_Not a great chapter, sorry. I wasn't really sure what I was going for when I wrote it. But hey, there's obviously a fight scene coming up next, so things should go a lot faster in the next chap! And thank you so, so much to everyone for the reviews, favorites, and follows! You guys are the best! -hugs-_


	5. Rabbit

"You're from Aogiri." The words sound detached, as though she's just a puppet and not actually the one speaking them. For a moment, Yukime nearly turns around, half expecting to see some ventriloquist standing behind her, strings trailing out from her body to his. But no, she knows there's no one there. It's just her and this blue haired ghoul whose name and identity she finally knows.

"You're from Aogiri," she repeats. And for a moment, nothing exists except that statement, that fact. Nothing else matters. _No, no, no, I didn't want this._ She'd thought those words before, but now they held a whole new layer of meaning, of horror and regret and sorrow.

"Yeah," Ayato replies, skidding to a stop beside her. Even as full of anger and bloodlust as he is, he can't ignore the lost look in her eyes.

She swivels her head around to look at him, her eyes peering straight into his in a terrible sort of desperate, pleading way. She takes a step back from him. "I'm sorry. I didn't know." There's a tremor in her voice now, just the slightest hint of fear.

"Well, since now you do," Ayato sighs, reaching into his cloak for his mask. "I suppose I might as well put this on."

Yukime takes another step back as he slips on his mask, a black rabbit one. In just that simple motion, he removes all traces of emotion from himself. Now he's just the black, unforgiving surface of some plastic ornament. _You do this to yourselves,_ she thinks. _You dehumanize yourselves._

"It makes you a little easier to kill, you know," Ayato continues nonchalantly from behind the mask. He feels stronger, safer with it on. "I'd been wondering if I could do it, but now, since you know, I have to. Everything, it's all your fault now. You threaten the Tree, you die. It's simple."

_You threaten the Tree, you die. _"I know that," Yukime chokes out. _Don't cry now, Yuki. Be strong._ "I know that so, so well." She feels the cold metal of the quinque case's handle against her palm, pushes down on the latch. The case springs open, the light green quinque spilling out and unfurling like a fern.

"That's better," he practically purrs. "I was worried you'd be merciful and spare my life again."

"No," Yukime says, tightening her grip on the quinque. "I'll fight" – she steps forward – "if I have to." She swings the quinque at him.

"If you have to –" he questions breathlessly, jumping out of the way. She's faster than last time. _But not fast enough to beat me_. Ayato takes another step back, his kagune bursting open, and jumps into the cold night air.

Yukime races forward to pursue him. "Yes. I still don't want to" – she braces herself, swinging hard again – "but I'll do what I must, because" – he dances out of her reach – "because sometimes, there isn't a choice. Sometimes we have to fight to survive. Sometimes, weakness is unforgivable." She'd punctuated each sentence with the whoosh of her quinque, but finally she stands still, unable to reach him from the ground.

Ayato blinks in surprise, the movement concealed by his mask. _I thought you were like Aneki, but maybe you're more like me. Maybe you do know what it means to be strong._ He wheels down towards the ground, knocking her off her feet, but not really trying to injure her. Not yet, at least. "You can't just pick and choose," he denies her claims. "Either you fight or you don't. You're strong or you're weak. There's no in between." _There can't be such a life. But I wish there was._

"Or maybe," Yukime replies, picking herself up and pushing through the pain, "the real strength is in coming to terms with the fact that the world isn't so black and white. There are more options out there than you think." She charges at him again.

_Options, _he thinks. _I never had those._ But he had, and he'd chosen this life.

"Strength is in taking care of your own wellbeing" – another swipe at him – "without having to sacrifice the things you value and believe."

He leaps into the air again, trying to process her words.

"Or without sacrificing anyone precious to you" – she slashes again, relentless – "because if you just run away and save yourself instead, then you're the weak one."

_But I did try to save you, Aneki. I'm wearing this mask, after all. _

"Maybe the real strength is in realizing that strength doesn't matter so much" – she's still trying, hopelessly, to attack him – "because fighting is the weakest way of all."

Ayato knocks her to the ground again, harder this time. "No," he says coldly. "You're wrong." _Fighting is the only way. Strength is the only way. _"You're the weak one after all." He fires a volley of projectiles from his kagune at her, watching as they tear through her flesh. She crumples to the ground immediately. _How cruel, to give me hope, and then snatch it away from me._

"No," she protests weakly. _What a fool I was to even think I had a chance_. "You're just blind." Ironically, her eyes close as she says it, even as Ayato stands watching her.

_You're just like Aneki after all._

_And that's the problem._

Lying there on the ground, bruised and battered and covered in her own blood, she looks just like Touka. _I did this to you too, Aneki. But I did it to save you._

And with her hood covering her long hair, she could practically be Touka – Ayato himself had nearly made that mistake just earlier that evening. They had the same slim build, the same way of pleading that there are better ways and better lives other than fighting even as they fought.

_But you're not my sister._

Ayato turns his back on her, removes his mask, and walks away into the beckoning night.

_Then why I am doing this for you?_

[-]

_Ah, short chap. I kind of suck at writing fight scenes. I really had no idea how to punctuate the speaking during this one. Also, with school again now, I'll definitely be updating less frequently. The next two chapters will probably be pretty short, almost filler ones, but stuff that needs to happen for the story to progress, and then I'll get the plot rolling. It should finish up pretty quick after that._

_I guess I should reply to my reviewers about now! I hadn't really known the standard for doing that before since it's my first time writing and I only read one other story before I wrote it. It was Bleed It Out, by the way. Really good story, it actually was what inspired me to write my own Ayato story, so if you need something to read while you're waiting for my updates, I totally recommend it! If you can't find it, it's under my favorites on my other account's profile, which I have a link to on this profile. And yes, I have two accounts. I didn't mean to post this story on this one, it just happened. I'm writing another story under my other account though, Forgive Me! So you can read that too while you're writing for this, although I'll probably be updating it even less than this one. Hehe, shameless self promotion. Anyways, the reviewers:_

_1animalgirl1: Wow, thanks! I hadn't thought it was that suspenseful, but I'm glad it was. Here's the rest of the fight scene, so now you can relax, haha._

_rrblover: Don't worry, I won't abandon this! I'm the kind of person who absolutely has to finish something once I start it. And I don't know how much I'll be shipping Ayato and Yukime together, but I'll try. I really, really suck at writing romance, and I don't think the story's going to drag on too long._

_visitor: Thank you!_

_mutsukki: Ah. We're already talked. Thanks so much for your feedback and support!_

_TheOneMagic: Um, haha, thanks I guess. xD_

_Again, thanks for the reviews, and to everyone else who has favorited or followed!_

_Also, I flipped chapters one and two. I realized almost everyone who got to chapter two went on and read the rest, but only half the people were liking chapter one enough to bother going to two. So I swapped them. It still fits the storyline, but I just wanted to include this note in case anyone was confused! And yes, I know I can go back and edit previous chapters, but I don't like changing things which I've already published. _


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